Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-04-07
1 With the Least disadvantage and

snrer 70 kn~iahd'
Il ,7.nme the worst. and picture Rus
sosted on the Bosphorus with the
4 .r,l If the DardanelIcs According
Al the accepted traditions of English
i .,ssman.hip, such i consunmation
'nd he equivalent to the end of the
b, .+isb empire, the one great and aw-
Il ,.olapitv to avoid which all our re-
h nrces should he expended and the
NJ charters Of the world involved in
Is But is this so? 1t would be UNI
.,npafa. certainly. Constantinople
/. wonderful city; the BosphorUs is
a,oopifreat port. But MarseilleS is
oa GREAT city. Venice is a great city;
! ,nlon. Spezzia, and Fiume are great
,rt., and vet in the face of all of
em the work of the British empire
,os ON and prospers. Why is it SO
Feyident that the existence of one
ore great military power upon the
n l,diterrauean could coniure up a
,poer which the presence of the great
.,nnb Italian. and Austrian strong
Ids has not vet created? To Austria,
,nbtless. the establishment of Russia
Constantinoplc may be leath; that
owing to the internal constitution of
bo Austrian empire, which no power
an alter. But for England there is no
7ch danger, and consequently no such
iced for conflict.
Bnt it viii be said there is the Suez
.onal-the Suez canal is the key TO In
ia Russia on the Mediterranean will
- Il 4 q IN,
,er power to seize the key of India.
fNow. in the first place, | say that the
Suez canal, save in time of peace, is
hot the key to India, but that, on the
,ontrary it is a dangerous temptation
lqid before our ewes to lead US to neg
beet the real and only true key to our
Indian empire. The road to India in
time Of war is round the cape and not
Stbrough the canal, and il hundredth
hart Of the money which has been
Spent in securing us from imaginary
noers in north Africa had been ex-
pended upon fortiications and docks
al Simon's bay and Cape Town the
terrible dangers of the present situa-
ton would have been reduced to a
minimum.
A. European power in competition
with the armed states Of the continent
England is ut "a hopeless and permanent
disadvantages As member OF con-
federated empire Of Sca-bordered En-
.peaking states she win be in an
absolutely impregnabie position. in
which the quarrels aud chickering's of
a. lag
solutey without Importance, and only
d interesting as study Of contemporary
x history in its smaller developments
So long as We give hostages to Europe
a By claiming an interest in its quarels,
and right TO participate in them. so
long shall we be at their mercy The
4 day ON which we declare once for all,
that we have no concern with the do
nestle politics OF Europe, and inform
our enemies, if we have any, that if
n they wish to quarrel with us they must
d take 10 the water To obtain satisfaction,
Il We shall enter upon a new and brighter
period Of our history. At present the
IA udi,cretion of n Roumaniau patrol, the
ambition OF Russian colonel, or the
muigues of q Greek patriot may drag
Il u, as day 5 notice INTO q conflict in
which we have nothing to win and
j everything to lose, and in which we
N must inevitably spend our blood and
i money ia serving the cause Of other
81 nations.
n Already events are helping to inn
u press upon the colonies the nature and
a extent Of the privilege and Of the re-
4 sponsbIIity. Our real through route
y 20 inc east has within the past few
y months been completed through the
4 west Already the military authorities
I iu India are looking to Australia rs
base Of supply which car be reached
4 more easily than England The proper
d ratification of Esquinmlt Sydney,
] Singapore Simon bay, and Mauitius
4 will make us absolutely independent of
the Suez canal. Close the cape route
and Sydney and Melbourne are still
\ open If the great Australian ports
are momentarily unavailable, the Cana
n d@u Pacific railway win once more en-
able 0s To turn the flank Of any enemy.
h lAe one and only route, throughout
The greater part of which we move on
saierancc under the guns Of every
mn-drilIug power in Europe, is the
one ON which we eXpend all our fore
thought aud all our resources. It is
uma aat we recognized the new facts
OF the political situation.
All this comes of our forgetting that
new England has sprung up, destined
to be infinitely greater and infinitely
more powerful than the old on the one
condition that She breaks forever with
lAe oId tradition which made her one
Of the old land powers Of Europe, and
accept the new and brighter role OF
w. -e.a'a-, sea power of the world
~ q. LuL-r III ALnet.eltLh lnuLu.lL